Esther and the King

Esther and the King (Italian: Ester e il re) is a 1960 American-Italian religious epic film produced and directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Joan Collins as Esther, Richard Egan as Ahasuerus, and Denis O'Dea as Mordecai. Walsh and Michael Elkins wrote the screenplay, which was based on the Book of Esther of the Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament. It recounts the origin of the Jewish celebration of Purim. An international co-production released by 20th Century Fox, Esther and the King was filmed in Italy in the CinemaScope format and the DeLuxe color process. Mario Bava, the film's cinematographer, was credited as a co-director on Italian prints of the film.